Course Overview

Catalog Description:

Social, cognitive, behavioral, and contextual aspects of information
systems, including human information behavior, interpersonal
interaction, and social responses to information technology. Emphasis on
well-being and information exchanges as a communicative event. Exposure
to experimental and naturalistic methodologies through laboratory
assignments and field work.

Instructor Description:

The course introduces the theoretical frameworks
and research methodologies that underpin the study of human-information
interactions and the design of technology to support or enhance those
interactions. The course will emphasize how findings from studies of
these human-information behaviors can be used to inform and improve the
design of information systems. The first half of this course will
emphasize basic concepts, models, and theories of how people interact
with information (often referred to as information behavior). It will be
followed by an introduction of methods that can be used to study
individual's information behavior. The last section of class will
consist of a series of cases where researchers have both studied
individuals' information behavior and used the knowledge gained from
that study to inform the design of an information system.

Objectives:

By the end of this course students should be able to:

Describe key theoretical concepts and models that have been used
to describe how people interact with information

Relate a practical information interaction or situation to those
theoretical concepts and models

Perform a study of an individual's information behavior

Critique a study of information behavior

Critique an information system design based on an information
behavior study

Use results from an information behavior study to design or
redesign an information system

Academic Conduct

The following paragraphs discussing academic integrity, copyright and
privacy outline matters governing student conduct in the iSchool and the
University of Washington. They apply to all assignments
and communications in this course.

Academic Integrity

The essence of academic life revolves around respect not only
for the ideas of others, but also their rights to those ideas
and their promulgation. It is therefore essential that all of us
engaged in the life of the mind take the utmost care that the
ideas and expressions of ideas of other people always be
appropriately handled, and, where necessary, cited. For
writing assignments, when ideas or materials of others are used,
they must be cited. The format is not that important–as
long as the source material can be located and the citation
verified, it’s OK. What is important is that the material be
cited. In any situation, if you have a question, please
feel free to ask. Such attention to ideas and
acknowledgment of their sources is central not only to academic
life, but life in general.

All of the expressions of ideas in this class that are fixed
in any tangible medium such as digital and physical documents
are protected by copyright law as embodied in title 17 of the
United States Code. These expressions include the work product
of both: (1) your student colleagues (e.g., any
assignments published here in the course environment or
statements committed to text in a discussion forum); and, (2)
your instructors (e.g., the syllabus, assignments, reading
lists, and lectures). Within the constraints of "fair use", you
may copy these copyrighted expressions for your personal
intellectual use in support of your education here in the iSchool. Such fair use by you does not include
further distribution by any means of copying, performance or
presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances,
student colleagues in this class and your family. If you have
any questions regarding whether a use to which you wish to put
one of these expressions violates the creator's copyright
interests, please feel free to ask the instructor for guidance.

Privacy

To support an academic environment of rigorous discussion and
open expression of personal thoughts and feelings, we, as
members of the academic community, must be committed to the
inviolate right of privacy of our student and instructor
colleagues. As a result, we must forego sharing personally
identifiable information about any member of our community
including information about the ideas they express, their
families, life styles and their political and social
affiliations. If you have any questions regarding whether
a disclosure you wish to make regarding anyone in this course or
in the iSchool community violates that person's privacy
interests, please feel free to ask the instructor for guidance.

Knowing violations of these principles of academic conduct,
privacy or copyright may result in University disciplinary
action under the Student Code of Conduct.

Students with Disabilities

To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact
Disabled Student Services: 448 Schmitz, 206-543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a
letter from DSS indicating that you have a disability which requires
academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor so we can discuss
the accommodations you might need in the class.

Academic accommodations due to disability will not be made unless the
student has a letter from DSS specifying the type and nature of
accommodations needed.